Americans United - Mitch Danielshttp://www.au.org/tags/mitch-daniels
enVoucher Vanguard: Indiana’s Daniels Is Just The Tip Of An Ominous Iceberghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-vanguard-indiana%E2%80%99s-daniels-is-just-the-tip-of-an-ominous-iceberg
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">LaHaye’s take on public schools is, of course, a pack of lies. Our school system is not secularist or anti-Christian or anti-American.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>America’s public school system and the constitutional separation of church and state are under relentless assault.</p>
<p>Yesterday the Indiana House voted 55-43 in favor of House Bill 1003, a <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iaVDFIdTmcv08OHlCzCmTQa2Fqmw?docId=de6a9259d7bf43e6a43d3147cbad2750">measure that</a> broadly funds religious and other private schools. The multi-million-dollar <a href="http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110428/LOCAL04/304289982">program sets up </a>a new school voucher scheme, expands a tax credit program and offers tax deductions for the costs of private education and homeschooling.</p>
<p>The bill now goes to Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desk, and he is certain to sign it. Daniels was a chief promoter of the package, and he clearly wants to force taxpayers to fund religious education. He is the founder and <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15731">driving force behind</a> The Oaks Academy, a “Christ-centered” private school in Indianapolis. Daniels sometimes poses as a moderate, but his education plan is anything but.</p>
<p>Make no mistake. This is not about “education reform.” This is part of national drive to radically privatize education. Indiana is just one of many states where mega-bucks foundations and sectarian interest groups are demanding taxpayer dollars for parochial and other private schools. Their long-term goal to shut down the public school system or leave it so damaged that its role in American life is minimal.</p>
<p>In October 2010, Religious Right godfather Tim LaHaye addressed the Council for National Policy about his <a href="http://www.cfnp.org/Page.aspx?pid=405">goals for education</a>. (The secretive CNP, as you probably know, is the premier meeting place for Religious Right zealots, TV preachers, right-wing fat cats and others who want to take America back to the Dark Ages.) He viciously mischaracterized the public schools and issued a call to arms for the CNP and its allies to remake them.</p>
<p>“I have a pet concern,” said LaHaye, the fundamentalist preacher and <a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/6/26/122744/780">“Left Behind” author</a> who founded the CNP. “And I think it is the concern of everyone in this room; and that is we are being destroyed in America by the public school systems of our country. And it was Abraham Lincoln who said, essentially, let me educate the children of this generation and they will be the political leaders of the next generation.</p>
<p>“And, folks, we have let the enemy come in and take over the greatest school system in the history of the world. At one time, Noah Webster was the school master of America, a dedicated Christian who founded people on the Word of God and principles of God. And I’d like to see you join me in prayer that God would let us wrestle control of the American school system from the secularists, the anti-Christians and anti-Americans that want to bend the minds of our children.</p>
<p>“At our expense, they want to take the most priceless thing we have – the brains of our children – and let them educate them. They educate the teachers, they provide the textbooks, and we give them the most precious things we have. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m hoping that this conservative movement will be long enough to get a majority who can vote what I consider a new bill of rights – a bill of parental rights where parents can decide where to send their children to school.”</p>
<p>Touting “biblically based education,” LaHaye concluded that ideology is the answer to education reform, not additional funding.</p>
<p>“May I suggest,” he said, that “more money is not what they need, it is a better ideology, and we have already got it.”</p>
<p>LaHaye’s take on public schools is, of course, a pack of lies. Our school system is not secularist or anti-Christian or anti-American. It welcomes children of all faiths (and none). Nobody is turned away from the door, regardless of religion, race, sex, sexual orientation, family background, disability or economic situation. And those schools are generally governed by elected school boards, whose members represent their diverse communities.</p>
<p>But LaHaye’s screed serves an important purpose. It gives us the master plan that he and other right-wing ideologues are pursuing. That’s why we have raging battles over vouchers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and a host of other states. (And it’s why House Speaker John Boehner <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/us/politics/15voucher.html">strong-armed through Congress</a> a federal taxpayer-funded voucher scheme in the District of Columbia.)</p>
<p>LaHaye and his cronies hate America’s vitally important public school system. He wants to shut it down and move to a “choice” system where taxpayers subsidize private schools that are accountable only to the sponsoring clergy and are free to indoctrinate children in their “biblically based” ideology. They don’t want to improve public education, as they sometimes claim; they want to destroy it.</p>
<p>LaHaye is not alone in this battle. Betsy DeVos, the infamous Koch brothers and other wealthy members and supporters of the CNP <a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/4/20/232844/831">are funding</a> the nationwide attack on public schools and church-state separation today. Don’t be fooled. They often put forward <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2010/09/sneak-attack.html">bogus “parents groups,”</a> to serve as front operations, but it’s they who are calling the shots.</p>
<p>Wake up, America. This radical movement is on the verge of triumph. Let your legislators and members of Congress know how you feel before it’s too late.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/betsy-devos">Betsy DeVos</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/council-national-policy">Council For National Policy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/koch-brothers">Koch brothers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitch-daniels">Mitch Daniels</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/oaks-academy">The Oaks Academy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tim-lahaye">Tim LaHaye</a></span></div></div>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:16:04 +0000Joseph L. Conn1639 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-vanguard-indiana%E2%80%99s-daniels-is-just-the-tip-of-an-ominous-iceberg#commentsStarving The Schools: In The States, Voucher Boosters Play Reverse Robin Hood With Tax Dollarshttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/starving-the-schools-in-the-states-voucher-boosters-play-reverse-robin-hood
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">This would seem to be a poor time to divert tax money into religious and other private schools. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Across the country, public schools are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn. The school system my daughter and son attend has increased class sizes, and some popular programs are on the chopping block.</p>
<p>This, then, would seem to be a poor time to divert tax money into religious and other private schools. (Learn more <a href="http://www.au.org/homepage/features/archive/2011/03-vouchers/?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage">here</a>.) Yet consider what’s going on in several states:</p>
<p><strong>Ohio:</strong> Gov. John Kasich has told public education officials to expect cuts totaling $1.3 billion. Some high school classes might increase to 36 students, and some programs will be cut. Nevertheless, Kasich has <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/24/copy/schools-can-adjust-to-cuts-kasich-education-official-tells-lawmakers.html?adsec=politics&amp;sid=101">called for</a> expanding Ohio’s private school voucher program, which currently has 14,000 students taking part, to 60,000.</p>
<p><strong>Indiana:</strong> Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett has told educators to expect <a href="http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110323/NEWS07/303239974/1006/NEWS">no increase</a> in funding this year for public schools. Funding levels have not increased since 2009. But Bennett and Gov. Mitch Daniels are aggressively pushing a multi-million-dollar, statewide voucher plan that could subsidize private schools to the tune of $5,500 per student.</p>
<p><strong>New Jersey:</strong> A state court <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/christies_school_aid_cuts_left.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face">has ruled</a> that cuts to public education pushed through by Gov. Chris Christie have left the state unable to provide a “thorough and efficient” education to the 1.4 million school-aged children in New Jersey. Christie slashed state aid to public schools by more than $800 million last year. Yet this year, he has proposed spending $360 million on voucher aid to religious schools.</p>
<p><strong>Pennsylvania:</strong> Gov. Tom Corbett <a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/03/08/corbett-budget-cuts-target-pennsylvania-schools/ ">has submitted</a> a budget that cuts K-12 education by $550 million. He recommends that public school employees accept salary freezes. Meanwhile, Corbett and his allies in the state Senate are aggressively pushing a voucher plan that could cost as much as $1 billion.</p>
<p>That’s just four states. As I <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2011/02/voucher-vexation.html">reported</a> in <em>Church &amp; State</em> in February, voucher bills are sweeping the states at the same time most places are making deep cuts to public education. It’s beyond ironic.</p>
<p>And don’t even give me any of this nonsense about how vouchers save money by reducing the number of youngsters attending public schools. A handful of kids leaving a school has no appreciable effect on the budget. Most costs are fixed. A teacher’s salary remains the same whether her class has 25 pupils or 27. The electricity bill doesn’t go down; the janitor must still be paid.</p>
<p>Public schools serve 90 percent of America’s children. If we’re serious about education, they must be our focus. The recent round of budget cuts coupled with voucher bills is a frontal assault on two important principles: church-state separation and public schools.</p>
<p>It’s time to speak out. Want some resources? Remember, AU's website has a <a href="http://www.au.org/homepage/features/archive/2011/03-vouchers/?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage">special section</a> on vouches and is a great place to start.</p>
<p>P.S. Don’t forget that Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) is <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2011/03/parochial-priority.html">pushing to revive</a> a voucher “experiment” in Washington, D.C. – even though the “experiment” has already been shown to be a failure. This drive has never been about helping children. It’s about a relentless political ideology that hates public education.</p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/chris-christie">Chris Christie</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/indiana">Indiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-kasich">John Kasich</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitch-daniels">Mitch Daniels</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-jersey">new jersey</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ohio">Ohio</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers-amp-government-subsidies-religious-schools">School Vouchers &amp;amp; Government Subsidies of Religious Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tom-corbett">Tom Corbett</a></span></div></div>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:05:19 +0000Rob Boston2177 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/starving-the-schools-in-the-states-voucher-boosters-play-reverse-robin-hood#commentsTruce Or Consequences: Religious Right Shoots Down Talk Of Cease-Fire In The ‘Culture Wars’ http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/truce-or-consequences-religious-right-shoots-down-talk-of-cease-fire-in-the
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Firmly convinced that God (who, conveniently, shares all of their right-wing political opinions) has ordained them to run everyone else’s lives, followers of the Religious Right constantly seek government power to enshrine their aggressive theology in law.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Is it time for a truce in the “culture wars”?</p>
<p>Indiana’s Republican governor, Mitch Daniels, thought so – for about five minutes. Under outraged pressure from the Religious Right, he quickly reversed himself.</p>
<p>The drama began last week when Daniels told the right-wing <em>Weekly Standard</em> that it is time for the country to put social issues aside and <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/more-mitch-danielss-truce-social-issues">deal with</a> pressing economic concerns.</p>
<p>Daniels has been bandied about as a possible presidential contender for the GOP nomination in 2012. He hasn’t announced anything yet and may be just testing the waters. If so, he’s off to a bad start with the Religious Right, a core GOP constituency.</p>
<p>The next president, Daniels said “would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues. We’re going to just have to agree to get along for a little while.”</p>
<p>Daniels added that the country faces a “genuine national emergency” over spending and budgetary issues and that this means “maybe these things [social issues] could be set aside for a while. But this doesn’t mean anybody abandons their position at all. Everybody just stands down for a little while, while we try to save the republic.”</p>
<p>Religious Right leaders <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/10/fiscal-focus-splits-gop-factions-on-social-issues/">would have none of that</a>. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, immediately went ballistic and accused Daniels of selling out the “pro-life” cause.</p>
<p>“Regardless of what the establishment believes, fiscal and social conservatism have never been mutually exclusive,” Perkins said. “Without life, there is no pursuit of happiness. Thank goodness the Founding Fathers were not timid in their leadership; they understood that ‘truce’ was nothing more than surrender.”</p>
<p>Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and a Religious Right favorite, also piled on.</p>
<p>“A strong leader doesn’t need to focus myopically on one or two issues,” Huckabee, himself a failed presidential candidate, wrote on his Web site. “But a strong leader is willing to fight for and defend their principles while rising to meet new challenges and solve all of the existing systemic problems confronting us.”</p>
<p>What happened next isn’t surprising: Daniels <a href="http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100613/UPDATES/100612017/1008/NEWS01/Daniels+retreats+from+call+for">stepped back</a> from his comments. He said his remarks were just suggestions and added, “I picked the word truce because no one has to change their point of view. No one has to surrender.”</p>
<p>The irony is, Daniels didn’t really have to retreat. Most Americans agree with him. Recent polls have consistently shown issues like jobs, the economy and the deficit topping the list of voters’ concerns.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/127949/Jobs-Drops-No-Americans-List-Top-Problems.aspx">Gallup poll </a>taken last month, 26 percent of respondents said the economy in general is their top concern. Unemployment came in second at 22 percent, while healthcare took 15 percent.</p>
<p>Down near the bottom of the list, at 4 percent, was “Ethics/Moral/Religious/Family Decline.”</p>
<p>The “culture war” issues – opposition to gay rights, legal abortion and church-state separation – have always been the obsession of the shock troops of the Religious Right and their leaders. Firmly convinced that God (who, conveniently, shares all of their right-wing political opinions) has ordained them to run everyone else’s lives, followers of the Religious Right constantly seek government power to enshrine their aggressive theology in law.</p>
<p>Most sensible Americans are mature enough to realize that in a nation of more than 300 million people and hundreds (if not thousands) of different faiths and philosophies, there will be some disagreement on moral issues. Their way of dealing with this is to respect differences, give a nod to diversity and not meddle in their neighbor’s private affairs.</p>
<p>But to the Religious Right, meddling in other people’s lives isn’t just recommended – it’s required. Their tiresome “my-way-or-the-highway” theology wedded to far-right politics is a recipe for division and discord – yet they claim the moral superiority to lord it over the rest of us.</p>
<p>Some of the Religious Right’s demands aren’t just divisive, they’re unrealistic. In Iowa, a group called the Iowa Family PAC has announced it <a href="http://www.globegazette.com/news/iowa/article_a383da08-77e3-11df-ba4f-001cc4c002e0.html">won’t support</a> Terry Branstad, the former GOP governor who is running for the seat again, even though he opposes legal abortion, opposes same-sex marriage and advocates policies favorable to homeschoolers.</p>
<p>Branstad’s crime?</p>
<p>He refuses to say he’ll issue an executive order overturning a 2009 ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage. Here’s the rub: <em>The governor doesn’t have the power to issue such orders.</em></p>
<p>Daniels’ quick retreat from an otherwise sensible proposal and the Iowa mix-up indicate that the Religious Right has lost none of its political punch. If anything, these groups are becoming more extreme and outlandish in their demands.</p>
<p>And, sadly, they seem to be a permanent fixture in this country -- much to the detriment of political discourse in America.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/elections">Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/FRC">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/indiana">Indiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/iowa-family-pac">Iowa Family PAC</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitch-daniels">Mitch Daniels</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/terry-branstad">Terry Branstad</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span></div></div>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:37:10 +0000Rob Boston2092 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/truce-or-consequences-religious-right-shoots-down-talk-of-cease-fire-in-the#comments